Loosing a Lion's Tongue
by Steele Stingray
Summary: Squall x Rinoa. Taking place at a formal event in Balamb Gardens, can Squall's discomfort be eased with the presence of his angel, Rinoa? A sequel/spin-off to my other FF8 fanfiction 'Bullets and Butterfly Wings'. Rated M for Mature  ...and sex .


**Author's Note**: This is kind of a sequel/spin-off to 'Bullets and Butterfly Wings', involving Squall and Rinoa this time. These two will always be my favorite Final Fantasy couple, followed by Serah and Snow, so expect a longer story this time. Enjoy!

**Loosing a Lion's Tongue**

Squall was the most comfortable in an abandoned building, with the blood of his enemies staining his white shirt. He was most comfortable when silence and his glossy gunblade, Griever, were his only companions, and the only one that was watching him was the serene moon, set in a dark velvet sky. Which was why his level of discomfort in the crowded ballroom of Balamb Gardens was through the atmosphere, although, like a good mercenary, he hid it well.

He was leaning hard into one of the white marble pillars, hoping with all his heart to become part of the cool, unmoving stone column. Of course no such grace was ever bestowed on him. Strangers and teachers and comrades milled around him, chatting and dancing, attempting to converse with him and generally making his life a living hell.

He gave a great heaving sigh as he saw Quistis and Selphie walking towards him, arm in arm. Selphie looked unusually refined with her normally flipped hair wrangled into a braid and her tiny body wrapped in layers of sea foam green fabric. Quistis looked even more the ice queen than usual, the pale blue silk of her flowing gown bringing out the severe blue of her eyes. Squall tried to think of an appropriate compliment for the two of them as they walked towards him…but they walked fast. By the time they had come abreast of him all he had was:

"Selphie. Instructor Trepe."

Quistis looked like she wanted to roll her eyes, but Selphie smiled, and clutched her skirts, obviously as uncomfortable as he was.

"Hey Squall." She replied, looking up at him with those huge emerald eyes of hers. "You look…weird." Always honest, Squall had to secretly agree with her: dress clothes did not suit him. "I mean, weird in a 'you-look-different' way! Not a bad way…" She amended, blushing. This was unlike her. Why was she so nervous?

"Thanks." Squall replied. "You look nice…in a not weird way…"

Selphie blossomed into a smile. "Really? Have you seen Irvine?" Ah, so that was why she was nervous. Squall never really had understood the relationship between the two of them; in his opinion, Selphie could do a lot better.

"Yeah. He's over there." Squall gestured over to where he had seen the expensive cowboy hat…and wished he hadn't. Irvine was clearly eye-fucking some woman in a revealing red dress, and the damage was done. He cringed as he turned back to Selphie and Quistis, but Selphie was already moving away, her face crumpling in defeat.

Squall ground his molars together. It was not his fault, but guilt still gnawed at his chest. Quistis was regarding him calmly, her arms crossed.

"You have any magic?" Squall asked finally, scratching his head.

"Why?"

"So I can set Irvine Kinneas on fire."

Quistis cracked wicked a smile. "Unfortunately, no I don't or I would have given it to you in a heartbeat." She leaned up next to him on the pillar. "I'd like to see him lose his cool about her, just once."

"He's so cruel." Squall said venomously. He didn't consider himself to be a master of human relationships, but even he was considerate enough not to torture someone as sweet as Selphie.

"Let it be." Quistis said sensibly. "You're hardly the one to be doling out advice on relationships." Squall glared at her but she wholly ignored him. "Speaking of which, where is Rinoa? She was with us not too long ago."

Squall instantly began to sweat. He had first met Rinoa in this very ballroom and the memory still made him blush. She had been so very…persistent and he had seen every curve of her body through the clingy white dress she had worn. It suddenly felt very hot in the room.

"I…don't know." He murmured truthfully. "She's always late." Rinoa's tardiness was a constant problem for Squall; having been raised a See-D, he was the picture of punctuality. "Is she…you know?" Quistis raised one eyebrow in confusion. "Oh don't make me say it…she's beautiful…right?" Of course she would be.

A rare real smile spread across Quistis' face. "Ah, so tactful!" Squall blushed. "But yes, she does look very nice. She actually got dresses for all of us. So skilled." Rinoa did have a knack for that kind of thing, and pride rose in Squall's chest, along with mounting excitement.

Quistis, by some form of magic, had champagne in her hands. "She's gone out of her way to impress you so if you could at least act impressed…" She raised both eyebrows in challenge and Squall glared at her.

"I'm not that mean."

"Tell that to Selphie."

Squall winced. Fucking low blow.

The good thing about Quistis Trepe was that she was perfectly content to ponder in silence if a conversation was to trail off, so the two of them enjoyed each others' company by saying absolutely nothing for the next ten minutes. Squall's nervousness only seemed to increase.

"Oh goodness." Murmured Quistis, giving a heaving sigh and downing the rest of her drink. "I'm going to escape while I can. And I need another drink."

Before Squall could ask her what she meant, she had dissolved into the crowd; what was with these women and their ability to move so quickly? Then Quistis' reason for escape revealed itself in Zell Dincht, pushing through the crowd in a most impolite manner.

It was too late for Squall to escape, so he had to brace himself and let Zell come, like an unstoppable force of nature.

The flood of words began: "Squall! How've you been? Nice night isn't it? I could have sworn I saw Quistis over here. But then again, you never know; there are so many people here! I haven't seen anyone yet except you and Seifer. Why are you hiding out here anyway? Rinoa won't be able to find you that way. You know, most See-Ds hate these things but I don't mind them so much. What about you? You don't seem like the type. Do you even know how to dance?"

Squall did not even attempt to answer any of Zell's questions, but regarded the front of his friends' dress shirt with chagrin. Zell was the sloppiest dresser: his shirt was hanging loose and buttons were jammed in the wrong holes. At least the shirt was clean, Squall would give him that.

"…And then I said that I didn't have a date, so they laughed at me. Isn't that awful?"

"Do you even know how to dress yourself?" Squall asked.

Zell ignored him. "Speaking of which, look at Irvine! He's wearing a hat inside." Squall shook his head in annoyance. "Come on, let's go tell him to take it off."

Before he could even open his mouth in protest, Squall was dragged along with Zell into the bright lights and noise, away from the comfort of his silent stone pillar. His level of pissed off was catching quickly with his level of discomfort.

Zell yanked Irvine's black hat off of his head and Irvine gave a shout of displeasure, before spinning on his boot heel, violet eyes flashing. Zell was annoying, but Irvine was cruel so Squall stepped between them before Irvine could attack. Squall hoped all his anger was properly displayed in his eyes. He was not moving.

Recognition caught in Irvine's eyes and he sighed in defeat.

"You shouldn't wear your hat inside, Irv." Zell said, returning the hat. "This is a formal event."

"Hypocrite." Irvine retorted with a smile. "Your dress uniform is wrinkled and it isn't even buttoned right." Squall had to try very hard to fight back a smile. He sobered up a minute later though.

"Are you seriously prowling?" He asked, fighting back fury. He would never do such a thing to Rinoa. "What about Selphie? You haven't talked to her all evening."

"I haven't seen her all night." Irvine admitted, looking sheepish. But then a sort of smile crept up onto his face. "Worry about your own girl, will you? Seifer's moving in on her. Again."

Squall felt as though ice had lodged itself in his stomach and all the pent up frustration inside of him felt as though it was exploding in his chest. He hated Seifer.

Sure enough, there she was. Squall's breath caught in his chest; Quistis had seriously underrated her. She was gorgeous. Her dress was midnight blue and hugged her like a second skin, scooping low in the chest with a long slit up the side, so plenty of her milk-white skin was showing. Her adorable face needed no make-up aside from a tiny bit of mascara; Squall disliked painted faces and the sticky lip-glosses. Her only jewelry was hers and Squall's rings on a silver chain, nestled safely in her cleavage, and her dark hair was pulled back in a low bun as if to accentuate her only bit of jewelry. The jewelry that clearly marked her as his.

It would have been obvious to anyone but Seifer.

Seifer had her cornered her against the stairs and looked as though he was chatting amiably with her. But Squall could see that look in his rivals' eyes when he was hungry…like a conquering, greedy, possessive hunger. And Rinoa could see it too. She looked highly uncomfortable, like she wanted to escape.

Squall was in rescue mode.

Everyone instinctively cleared a path for him as he stormed across the ballroom floor. He had completely forgotten about Zell and Irvine and his anger towards the latter. Rinoa filled his vision.

He brushed up against her back and her scent assaulted him: berry and vanilla. Just her smell could make him feel uncomfortably warm.

She jumped to see who was coming to rescue her, and relief spread over her lovely features. Squall, a master of body language, instantly felt her angling herself toward him and he responded instinctively by weaving his arm around her slender waist and pulling her closer.

Seifer was unperturbed.

Squall was irked that Seifer seemed more at ease in the crowd and in his dress uniform. His blond hair was slicked back to properly display the scar Squall had given him and he oozed with self-confidence, magnetic charm flashing in his aquamarine eyes.

He barely blinked at Squall's presence and leaned in closer to Rinoa, looming over her like some great predator.

"I-I told you I didn't come alone." Rinoa tried her best to put a smile on her face and got even closer to Squall, so now he was half-shielding her. "I was just late. As usual…"

Disappointment flickered across Seifer's face and Squall took over the conversation. "So you can leave now." Subtle.

Seifer smiled and gave a shrug of defeat, but his eyes flashed when they met Squall's. As a last act of impertinence (and his traditional rudeness), Seifer clasped Rinoa's right hand and kissed it. Only Rinoa's steadying hand kept Squall from punching Seifer in the mouth.

"You know where to find me." He whispered devilishly before turning on his heel and disappearing into the crowd.

Rinoa and Squall breathed a collective sigh of relief as his white coat disappeared into the mass. Rinoa clutched the front of Squall's dress shirt and felt his heart hammering underneath; he was so tense. He had almost lifted her off the ground, but her heels had saved her.

"Squall." She whispered. "You can relax." He complied instantly, relinquishing his death grip on her waist and letting his expression go back to stoicism. Rinoa fixed his hair, which was becoming unruly again.

"What did he want?" Squall tried to sound apathetic, but failed miserably.

Rinoa smiled gently and smoothed the front of her dress. She was inwardly beaming at the fact that Squall was jealous over her. "Oh, he saw me coming down alone and was trying to convince me to let him be my escort. Naturally, I refused but he was…um…quite insistent." Rinoa used find Seifer's passion incredibly attractive, but now it seemed a little scary.

Squall barely brushed his lips across her forehead and both of them flamed with blush; Squall was not normally so physical, especially in public. "If you came on time, we wouldn't have this problem…"

"He's harmless." Rinoa said instantly and then rethought her words. "Maybe…" Her tender smile became even brighter. "Are you jealous?"

She was rewarded with his handsome face turning a most unbecoming shade of red as he stumbled to come up with the right words. She was always pushing him to talk, to say what he was really thinking, and the process was almost as cute as the result. Squall shifted uncomfortably.

"Of course I am. He's my rival and you two had that…thing." Squall twisted his lips; he hated the fact that Seifer had found Rinoa first. "And you're…you're umm…so…so…" Rinoa waited expectantly, her smile getting sunnier the more Squall dithered as he failed to come up with a proper adjective to describe her. "You're very pretty, ok!" He practically shouted it at her and then averted his eyes, his ears turning pink.

Rinoa sidled up to him and noted that he did not attempt to move away. "Just pretty?"

"Beautiful…" Squall murmured. "You're very beautiful."

Rinoa looked up at him. "Just beautiful?"

"What do you want me to say?" Squall finally looked down at her, gray eyes flashing. Rinoa flinched a little and her smile dimmed. Squall softened and touched her hair. "Tell me and I'll say it. You are…beyond words…"

Rinoa stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the mouth, pleased when he seemed to respond. She didn't mind pushing him.

"Come on!" She said, beaming like the sun; Squall got the strangest bout of déjà vu as she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the light. "I know you hate dancing, so let's get this over with!"

….

As the night wound down, Squall was having a much better time.

The ballroom was darkening as the lights were dimmed in lieu of the fireworks display, he had not seen Seifer for the entirety of the evening, he had resumed his position against his marble pillar, and, best of all, Rinoa was leaned up against him, her ear resting on his heart.

He was basically holding her up, her feet sore after dancing so much, and he alternated between clearing her hair out of her eyes and kissing her on the forehead and lips. In the dark, when no one could see, he was much bolder.

Rinoa rubbed her head up against his chest. "What time is it?"

"Are you about ready to go back?" Squall asked softly, clearing her bangs off her forehead. Squall had shared a room with Zell in the senior apartment block until Rinoa had kicked Zell out. He much preferred his newer roommate. She shook her head softly and Squall kissed both of her closed eyelids. "Then where do you want to go?"

"I don't know…" She murmured and the fireworks began overhead. "Surprise me…"

Squall mulled over the option she had just given him before hoisting her up higher and swinging her into his arms. Rinoa had this thing about being held and she ran her lips down his neck by way of thanks. It made his skin prickle.

Trying to be as discreet as possible, he wove deftly through the ballroom and out into one of the hallways linking the ballroom to the rest of Balamb Gardens.

He was thinking hard about where he could take Rinoa. Although he was not the epitome of a romantic, even he knew that his cramped dorm room was not going to cut it tonight. Then he remembered…

Balamb had just been equipped with a state-of-the-art observation deck that topped the entire Gardens and was made completely of bulletproof glass; the effect was that one was floating above the entire school. The thought put butterflies of excitement in his stomach and he took off almost at a run.

Rinoa felt his mounting excitement and was not helping to calm him down as she busied herself unbuttoning his dress shirt and went on to lick and kiss every inch of his bare skin. Squall had had to wear high-collared shirts lately to cover up Rinoa's bite marks and hickeys…she was unstoppable. But he was responding to her hot little tongue, his entire body becoming like an oven and his hands reaching for her soft skin. Her dress, which had seemed beautiful hours ago, was now nothing but a barrier, and he ached to tear it off of her, although he'd get hell for it later.

When he got in the elevator to get to the Observatory, Squall (and the heat pooling between his legs) could stand it no more and hefted Rinoa up so she was at eye level.

Rinoa was just as passionate in her love as she was in everything else; Squall admired her ability as she used one hand to push his head closer to hers, their tongues firmly intertwined, as her other hand flew to the back of her dress, reaching desperately for the zipper. Squall felt the fabric go slack, falling to her perfect waist.

With a gasp for air, he pushed her bare back into the wall of the elevator, and hoisted her up higher. She breathed hard for air as she wrapped her pale arms around his head, forcing his head into her beautifully bare chest. Squall was more than thankful.

Up until he met Rinoa, Squall had never understood the appeal of the female body, but now, he loved every last curve of Rinoa's: the swan-like elegance of her neck, the S-shape of her back, the hourglass of her waist, her tight bubble ass, and the glorious peaches that were her breasts. He liked to feel her heart beat through the velvety skin there, and if he could claim any physical aspect of hers, it would be those perfect breasts…

Rinoa inhaled sharply and whimpered as Squall clutched one of her breasts, running his thumb over the tough little nipple, while the other was accepted into his mouth. She tasted like come sort of berry and cream confection, and he licked her like a cat; she buried her face into his hair and gave tiny screams as his tongue flicked up, making him even hotter than before.

Squall stumbled off of the elevator as it reached the observatory, his mouth and hands still full of Rinoa, and Rinoa screamed as she saw what appeared to be a sudden drop beneath them.

Squall, by some miracle, managed to disentangle himself from her ivory arms and laid her on the floor, gently as if she were made of glass. He then yanked off his jacket and dress shirt as if they were burning, tossing them aside, before looking at his angel.

She was so erotic it made his hips ache.

Set against the dark backdrop of the floating Gardens and the night sky, Rinoa's white skin glowed with pink blush, her dark hair fanned out across the floor, and her pretty face was lit with expectation. Her dress had slid down to her waist, baring all her torso, but it was also hitched up to her thighs, revealing her slender legs and the top of her lacy black garters. She was mouthwatering.

She, in turn, looked up at Squall, his gray eyes flashing with unabashed want, his brown hair sticking up everywhere. His pants hung dangerously low around his waist, and Rinoa was always turned on by just how muscular his body was, hard muscle rippling as he breathed.

Like a carnivore, he practically dove on her, kissing her hungrily on her lips and cheeks, grabbing big fistfuls of her thick hair, she doing likewise, also licking the length of his high cheeks.

From there, he meandered back to her chest, and felt a surge of satisfaction as she wrapped her legs around his torso, causing the collision of his blazing crotch with her lacy one. When she wriggled her hips, it only made matters worse…so much worse that he had to tear his mouth away from her chest in order to moan her name. Rinoa smiled and gasped at the same time.

Oh she would pay for that…

Squall forced himself to pull away yet again, and relieved Rinoa of her bulky dress, leaving her naked, but for her lacy black garters and thong. Virgin-like, she blushed red and attempted to cover herself with her hands. It was all a ruse and he knew it but…goddamnit, it still turned him on.

He lifted up her legs so her ankles were at his chin and she squealed, as her body shifted. Like a good knight he kissed the snow-white feet of his lady, starting with her perfect toes, then her ankles, up her creamy calves, to the soft skin of her inner thighs and finally the lace on her underwear.

In return for all the torture she had made him endure, he drew his actions out, running his nose and lips up and down the center of her underwear; he felt satisfaction as he breath got shorter and her panties got wetter. The first time his tongue darted out, Rinoa stifled a scream and pushed grabbed his head, attempting to push it in deeper and relieve her fire. But Squall was infuriatingly strong and stayed slow and deliberate.

Rinoa wailed as he gripped the lace very carefully between his teeth and began to pull the underwear down her legs, before throwing it in the increasing pile of clothing that was accumulating off to the side of the Observatory.

Rinoa panted in relief of being free, and Squall, seeing her ecstasy, also felt the sudden urge to relieve himself of his dress pants and boxers, as each time they brushed against his skin, he felt as though he was about to explode.

When she looked up again, Rinoa was thrilled to note that Squall was in his glorious nakedness, the way she preferred him. When their physical relationship had first begun Squall had been loath to part with any of his clothing, acting more a shy virgin than she had ever been. But now that he was more comfortable with her, she could hardly control him from tearing clothes from his body when he got heated. She didn't mind though. Squall's hard, See-D disciplined body was gorgeous and he was pretty well endowed.

He practically growled as he threw himself back into her open arms, burying his tongue in her mouth, one of his hands staying at her chest (he really was a closet breast-guy), while the other shot to her waist.

Another good thing about Squall was the sheer power and prowess of his hands. The skills he had with his fingers was beyond Rinoa's comprehension as his whole hand gripped her crotch: pinky and thumb massaging the outside skin, as the remaining three thrust deep inside her, half probing, half rubbing.

She screamed into his mouth, her body twisting simultaneously to get away from his hand and to get closer at the same time. She thrashed helplessly beneath him.

He marveled at the smoothness of her skin, like silk, never having known the rays of the sun, and the warmth of her insides…the heat she exuded was incredible.

Squall jumped as both of her tiny hands found purchase on him: her left hand dug into his back while the right hand also expertly grabbed at his crotch. He had to pull away from the deep kiss just to release the cry that resonated from his pelvis, and Rinoa gave little mewling wails in return.

She was insane. Even under all the pleasure he was clearly doling out, she was expertly playing with him as well. Her hand alternated between a slow massage and quick strokes, and he positively drooled at the feeling. He had to really focus on continuing to please her, while holding back his fire, which was really difficult, as his hips instinctively bucked into her warm hand. Training with a Gunblade was easier than trying to outdo Rinoa in foreplay.

"Sto-op!" She cried first, tears rolling down her pink cheeks as her legs closed on his hand. He froze instantly, his dick screaming in protest. She collapsed, twisted sexily before looking up at him. "I-If you do…any more…I'll come so…"

Squall gave a sigh of relief, thankful that he hadn't accidentally hurt her and that he could soothe his own itch. He still needed revenge from earlier.

"How is it?" He asked softly before pulling her head up so he could kiss her mouth. She gasped as they came apart, a small thread of spit joining her lips to his.

"Good." Was all she could manage.

She squealed as Squall kissed her again, grabbing huge fistfuls of her hair. "Only good?"

"Wonderful!" She wailed digging her nails into his back and attempting to sit on his lap. Squall moved away; he was kind of enjoying this.

He licked the perimeter of her ear and she shivered. "Only wonderful?" His voice was so low, but it dripped with sex.

"More!" She screamed, her face a breath away from his. "Squall! I want more!" He needed no invitation. Playing was fun, but he was at his limit, and had been since he had been in the elevator. He truly was her loyal knight: whether or not she realized it, she held him in the palms of her hands.

His accuracy was perfect and he held her arching back as he slammed his pelvis into hers, trying to use enough strength to ignite her insides but not shatter her fragile bones. He was getting to be a better judge as the first time he had left her with blossoming bruises.

The effect of being in the Observatory was incredible. Rinoa, dizzy with pleasure, felt as though she was simply floating in midair, and the only thing keeping her from falling was Squall's strong form. So she melded herself to him, swaying her hips like they were dancing again and wrapping her arms and legs firmly around his muscled torso. He wouldn't let her fall.

Squall dug his feet into the floor for more powerful thrusts and pressed her head to his, the other hand cupping her ass, pushing it as hard against him as he could. He had learned to pace himself: the longer he drew it out, the better it would feel. His resolve was admirable, as Rinoa was so warm and tight…god, it was hard.

Rinoa would have been writhing otherwise, but he held her so tightly, as she liked, that all the movement was forced to her hips and she rode him all too willingly. Somehow he managed to get into a kneeling position so her back was against the glass and he had a better entry point.

When she grew so slippery with sweat that he could barely keep a good hold on her, he began to move his hips in a circle, so hard and fast that she wailed, at first wordless until it formed his name. There was no stronger aphrodisiac for him.

"More?" He gasped.

"Squall!" Was all she could scream in reply and the muscles in her legs jolted and released their vice on his back. However, her position against the wall did not allow her to drop her legs completely, so they trembled halfway in the air, held aloft by Squall's bony hips and her toes curled back in pleasure.

He was also getting good at timing his completions to match hers, so when he felt her body begin to tremble with exertion and her mouth could no longer form words, he draped her arms around his neck and gave a last ditch effort, plunging hard and deep as he could. Finally sweet relief…

Squall had to put one hand on the wall to steady himself, his legs shaking and dripping. At least he had not fared worse than Rinoa, who had all but fainted in his arms. When he finally regained adequate control of his muscles, he swung her limp body up into his arms and sat on the floor so she was cradled on his lap. With a sigh he noticed that he would probably have to clean the floor in the morning.

Her eyelids fluttered and a smile graced her kiss-swollen lips, as Squall ran his tongue down her cheeks and neck. He knew how much she liked to be held in his arms; she felt completely safe from everything…except the new (and damn quick) erection that was pressing into the small of her back. She didn't blame him: they were teenagers after all. At least he was patient enough to let her recover.

He continued to kiss and lick her face and neck, but as she recovered more, his tongue became more adamant, curling around her nipples, down her ribcage, and into her pelvis. She whined as his tongue moved just as skillfully as his hands, if not more so. And she tasted sweet everywhere.

"You know…" She gasped, twisting her body so it was at a better angle, her hands weaving into his soft brown hair. "It's funny… whenever I try to…get you to…talk, your tongue is tied…but now…I feel you should use your tongue more often…"

When he raised his head there was a warm and real smile there. "Is that a command?" She looked at him questioningly. "I am your knight aren't I? I live to serve you." She kissed him by way of reply.

Squall now found that his new most comfortable place was naked, in the soft moonlight, with, his angel, Rinoa in his arms.


End file.
